Method of making weather strips



Jan. 11, 1949. SPRARAGEN METHOD 0F MAKING WEATHER STRIPS Original FiledMarch 23, 1942 mvENToR mais Jpraragen .BY g ,M4/uc ATTORNEYS PatentedJan. 11, 1949 UNITED STAT-ES PATENT OFFICEr METHOD 0F MAKING WEATHERSTRIPS.

Louis Spraragen, Bridgeport, Conn., assignor to Bridgeport Fabrics,Inc., Bridgeport, Conn., a corporation oi' Connecticut Originalapplication March 23, 1942, Serial No.

435,782. .Divided and this application September 28, 1945, Serial No.619,228

4 Claims.

23, 1942, now Patent No. 2,400,470 granted May Heretofore, it has beenproposed to cement or otherwise adhere a strip of sponge rubber Vaboutthe closure member so as to be located in posi- 4tion to seal an openingwhen the closure member is moved to closed position. Such devices areoften used to seal the doors of automobiles and are subject to rains andother weather conditions. However, sponge rubber, being porous, retainsthe moisture, causing rust, and often becomes loosened from itsmounting.

In an effort to overcome these difliculties, hollow sealing members weremelded from rubber material, since previous covers for lthe sponge .wereineffective due to bunching when the sponge was'bent. While these sealswere not porous and were sufficiently rigid to be anchored by clips tothe door, they were subject to frequent breakdowns due to the flexing ofthe walls of the hollow structure.

The strip made according to the present invention obviates thesediiculties by providing a durable beading strip which has the resilientproperties of vsponge rubber and is tough and impervious to moisture andcapable of being securely anchored in position. This is accomplished,according to the present invention, by a bead preferably of spongerubber having a resilient bendable attaching flange and the wholeenclosed and sealed with a tough; impervious cover secured throughoutthe surface thereof.

In the preferred form of the invention, the bead is made with at leastone flat surface to which is secured the attaching strip or flange. Theflange is provided with aplurality of interstices and/or loops along oneedge thereof and the rubber of the bead extends intothe interstices andthe loops and interlocks therewith.

In order to make the strip impervious to moisture, the presentinventoncompletely encloses the bead and ange with a tough, resilientcover which is securely and integrally bonded to the surface so as to bea part thereof. The cover may be a coating of said material, a depositfrom a dispersion of latex, or may be preformed, as by extrusion, andsecured to the bead and flange.

In some installations, the beading strip will not be exposed to theweather, and, in such cases, it

2 x may be covered with a textile covering material securely anchoredthereon.

Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent whenconsidered in connection with the drawing, in which:

Figure 1 shows a. transverse sectional view of one form 'of the bead ofthe present invention.

Fig. 2 shows a front view, partly in section, of the form of theinvention shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing another form of myinvention' embodying a. preformed cover. 4

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the elements of the form ofthe invention shown in Fig. 3.

Fig, 5 shows an end view of the preformed cover.

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 1, showing another form of theinvention embodying a fabric cover.

Fig. 7 is a view' similar to Fig. 2- of the form of the invention shownin Fig. 6. k

Fig. 8 shows a partial sectional view ofthe door and door jamb havingthe seal of thepres' ent invention thereon.

Fig. 9 shows a detail sectional view of the door with the sealpartiallyinstalled.

Fig. l0 shows a view of the strips showing the process of making thesame.

The seal made in accordance with the present invention comprises a solidbead -20 of flexible resilient material, preferably sponge rubber.

- The bead has at least one substantially flat surface 2| and acontacting face 2 la. `An attaching strip or flange 22 of bendableresilient material is secured to the surface 2l to extend thereover.

As herein illust-rated, the attaching flange comprises textile warpsl 23and bendable resilient wefts 24 extending therethrough and projectingbeyond one edge thereof to form a plurality of loops 25.

As is shown in Fig. 1, the bead material enters into the interstices ofone face of the woven attachng flange and also passes through andinterlocks with the loops at the edge of the flange, so that the flangeis securely anchored to and overlies the flat surface of the bead.

A portion 22a of the ange extends below the bottom of the bead and formsthe means for mounting and attaching the bead in position, as will beexplained.

While the shape of the bead. may be varied as desired, it is hereinillustrated as having a contour which is substantially B-shaped, and theattaching flange is secured to the back oi the' bonding compound and thecover is then formed by depositing a thin layer 26 directly thereon froma-dlspersion of latex. This provides a very thin skin over the spongerubber bead and the attaching flange and seals them against the entry ofany moisture. The cover, lbeing bonded throughout the surface of thebead and flange,

becomes, in effect, a part thereof and bends and yields with the beadand flange without any bunching.

While the present seal may be used with closures of various types, it isherein illustrated, in Figs. 8 and 9, as applied between an automobiledoor I and a `lamb 3| therefor.

'I'he door, as is best shown in Fig. 8, is provided with an edge portion32 and an outwardly extending ilange 33 which overlies and cooperateswith a shoulder 3Ia on the jamb to close the opening defined thereby.

The outer seal is mounted in the corner formed between the edge and theflange, with its contact face 2id in position to engage and cooperatewith the shoulder on the jamb to seal the opening therebetween. It isheld in this position by an attaching means which may comprise the usualclip passing through apertures in the iiange and door edge, a series ofindividual clamps, or a channel-shaped member 34, as shown in Fig. 9,secured by riveting, welding, or other suitable fastening means 35 tothe edge of the door adjacent the base of the flange. In mounting theouter seal, the projecting portion 22a of the attaching flange isinserted into the opened channel, as shown in Fig. 9. The channel isthen i closed into the position in which it grips the pro- ,iectingflange and clamps it to the edge of the door. In doing this, theprojecting portion of the i'lange is bent and the fiat bottom of the B-shaped portion of the bead moves into position. shown in Fig. 8, whereinit overlies and completely conceals the attaching member 34.

As the attaching flange is bent, its resiliency will cause the hat backportion 2i to be urged into and maintained in tight engagement with theprojecting flange on the door.

If the seal is to be subjected to 'severe wear, the heavy duty seal ofthe present invention, as shown in Figs. 3 through 5, may be employed.In this form of the invention, the bead and attaching strip are aspreviously described, but the cover comprises a heavy layer 26a ofresilient material, preferably rubber. The cover is preformed to theshape of the exterior of the bead andfange, as shown in Fig. 5 byextruding or molding it.

The bead and flange may be provided with a suitable adhesive or bondingagent and the cover assembled thereon and secured to the surfacethereof, or the cover may be extruded directly Yon the bead and ange andvulcanized directly thereto.

This cover completely encloses and seals the strip and adheres to theentire surface of the bead and flange to flex therewith. Since the coveris preformed to the shape of the core,

4 it will be devoid of internal stresses which would be produced if thecover was folded up from a flat sheet of rubber material and will,consequently, yield -with the strip without undue bunching or'bucklingduring the installation and use thereof.

Under some circumstances, the strip may be used as an interior seal orfor decorative purposes and will not be subject to weather conditions.In this case, it can be covered with a fabric, preferably a textilefabric 26h, as shown in Figs. 6 and 7, which may be cemented, stitchedor otherwise secured in position therearound.

' While the cover materials have been indicated as being of latex.rubber and fabric, it is to be understood that other suitable syntheticrubbers, resins vor compositions, which produce a flexible, imperviouslayer, may be substituted therefor.

In making up the beading strips according to the present invention, twobeads may be formed at the same time. This is accomplished by employinga separator strip of Holland cloth 40 or other suitable material, towhich rubber does not readily adhere, and assembling on each sidethereof an attaching ange 22 as shown in Fig. l0. The bead is thenmolded about the top of the assembled strips so as to extend the sameamount on each side of the separator strip and be symmetric with respectthereto. The rubber will extend through the loops of the flanges andinterlock with and cover the same, but the separator strip will protectone side of the flange and keep it free from rubber.

After the bead has been completely molded and cured, the separator stripis removed by a stripping or peeling operation, leaving a flat surfaceincluding the uncovered portion of the flange.

The foregoing can be accomplished with strips of predetermined length orin a continuous process wherein a continuous separator strip isassoelated with continuous lengths of attaching flange material and theassembly passed through a continuous molding machine which will form thebeads thereon.

After the beads and attaching flanges are separated, they may beprovided with the various above-noted covers as required. In doing this,they are treated with a bonding agent or adhesive, if necessary, and thecover formed thereabout, by coating, depositing a layer of latex thereonfrom a dispersion thereof, or securing a fabric therearound, asrequired.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of thisinvention and portions of the improvements may be used without others.

I claim:

1. In the method of forming a weather strip, the steps of placing anattaching flange on each side of a separator strip; molding a bead ofsponge rubber about one edge ofthe assembly so that the bead extendsequally on each side of the separator strip and is symmetrical withrespect thereto; removing the separator strip and separating the nangesand half bead molded thereto; and enclosing each of the beads andflanges with a cover material.

2. In the method of forming a weather strip, the steps of placing anattaching ange on each side of a separator strip; molding a bead ofsponge rubber about one edge of the assembly so that the bead extendsequally on each side of the separator strip and is symmetrical withrespect thereto; removing the separator strip and separating the flangesand half bead molded thereto; and enclosing each of the beads and lengthot attaching iiange on each side of a continuous separator strip,passing the assembly through a bead-forming means and molding a bead ofsponge rubber about one edge of the assembly so that the bead extendsequally on each side of the separator strip and is symmetrical withrespect thereto; removing the separator -strip and separating theiianges and half bead molded thereto; and enclosing the beads andattaching danses with cover material.

4. The method oi forming a core for a weather strip, comprising thesteps of placing an attaching flange on each side of a separator strip;mold :Maico 6 ,ing a bead of sponge rubber about one edge oi theassembly so that the bead extends equally on each side Aof the separatorstrip and is symmetrical with respect thereto: and removing theseparator strip and separating theI ilanges and A half bead moldedthereto.

-ICDUIB BPRARAGEN.

REFERENCES vCITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent: J

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name 1,546,573 Edison July 21, 19251,308,582 Taylor June 2. 193i 1,931,333 Taylor Oct. 17, 1933 mmm..

Detjen June 20, 1944

